Critical Analysis of the Axiom: 'One Cannot Communicate' Theoryof Paul Watzlawick of the Palo Alto School

Abstract

This article questions one of the axioms of Paul Watzlawick, a member of the invisible Palo Alto's School: 'One cannot communicate,' which means everything communicates. Indeed, this prompted us to ask whether any act has communicative value. The objective of this study is to enlighten the opinion of the scientific world concerning the theory above, which, unfortunately, tends to be dogmatized and popularized in the Information and Communication Sciences' village. Thus, to achieve this, we have used systemic and functionalist methods, supported by the techniques of observation, documentation, focus groups, interviews, and our sense of analysis. At the end of this reflection, we concluded that not everything communicates because communication is a matter of precision and mutual understanding. Understanding also means agreement or sharing thoughts, opinions, ideas, etc.